As mentioned in my previous post, before I arrived in Sydney, Australia I had the opportunity to stopover in Los Angeles, CA to visit a life long friend and relive my childhood at Universal Studios Hollywood. Predicted hours before even seeing Scott, I knew the evening would be an absolute riot. After he picked me up from the Tourism Australia “The Americas” head office downtown LA, we ventured further into the city. With a ZipCar as our form of transportation we covered a lot of ground. Later in the evening we made our way back to my resort at Universal Studios, The Beverly Garland Holiday Inn to grab a bite, relax and prepare for a fun-filled-action-packed-childhood-reliving day at the park.
The morning came early, as I wanted I took full advantage of my day pass at Universal Studios Hollywood. When I arrived at the Studios, I was instantly amazed. I didn’t waste a minute in entering the park and beginning to explore.
I felt as though I was 5 years old again – running up to all the characters and ensuring I took pictures with each and every one of them. I even befriended a “NYC Cop” who became my personal photographer for the day! After personally meeting Shrek, SpongeBob, Curious George and many other friendly characters I made my way to the main attractions.
The Studio Tour was hands down the best and my favourite attraction at the park. It was incredible to see a behind-the-scenes look at how some of greatest films and television shows came to life at Universal Studios. It is definitely an experience you should add onto your bucket list.
Watch out for the flash flood!
Following the Studio tour I found myself on The Simpson’s Ride, meeting Megatron from the Transformers, attending the Special Effects Stage and lastly experiencing Waterworld.
Everything you see at Universal Studios from the character costumes, live shows and main attractions has the potential to blow you away. Universal Studios is definitely something worth checking out if you ever are in the Los Angeles area.
If the characters, rides, live shows and attractions weren’t enough to put a smile on this girl’s face; as I was exiting out of the park I noticed a mob of people surrounding the “Extra” TV show stage. I made my way closer and crazy enough… it was Julianne Hough, star of Footloose and Save Haven being interviewed by Mario Lopez!
It is always a plus to see a celebrity… or two while spending time in the Entertainment Capital of the World, Hollywood!
Goodbye North America – HELLO Australia!
Passing through Australian customs marked the beginning of my next adventure. All that I had with me was a 60 + 15 litre rucksack, a tiny suitcase and a daypack to last me for the next while. I had only packed the essentials – the must have items that I couldn’t live without while being away. After retrieving my luggage I made my way through to the arrival gates… I had finally arrived and was in Sydney, I was home.
Home Sweet Home!
Since being in Sydney I have moved locations about 5 times. From first checking into the Sydney Central YHA for my first three nights, to transferring to the Bounce Hostel where my Canadian friends were staying, to another hostel named Wake Up! down the road from my work to Bondi Beach and then back to Wake Up! … my life has been go-go-go ever since. (Side Note: I am aware that was a huge run on sentence, and it was exhausting trying to say it all in one breath… but that is how I have been feeling for the last 2 weeks :p).
In addition to constantly changing hostels, I have been working at Peterpans Adventure Travel since the day I arrived. Peterpans is an adventure travel company focused around servicing the backpacker, student and young at heart traveller. It has been an incredible experience so far working for them, as I am constantly surrounded by travellers (mostly all Australian foreigners) who share the same passion for Australia as I do. They have all found themselves travelling through the country and come to the realization they want to share that passion with prospective travellers. Peterpans plans and organizes trips anywhere within Australia from the East to the West Coast, to the Top End, Outback, South Coast and everything in between. In addition they specialize in trips throughout New Zealand and Fiji! It has been such a drastic learning curve, and I am really starting to realize how amazing this side of the world truly is for backpackers/travellers of all ages. I can’t wait until I am fully trained up and am able to give everything I have to share my passion for this amazing country through working at Pans.
Come by and say hi! Ask for Sam 🙂
If you are ever in the Sydney area, you should definitely stop on by 1/800 George Street in the Sydney CBD and say hi! I’ll plan you a trip of a lifetime, at a price you can’t find anywhere else.
When I am not working, I spend a lot of my time in the city; exploring the unique Sydney suburbs, laying on the beach, as well as going out downtown. Sydney has so much to offer for the youthful traveller – from various backpacker “bar nights” at a different club each night of the week (with cheap drinks too!), to free walking tours offered by various hostels, to heaps of events and festivals going on daily. Sometimes it is easy to get overwhelmed by how much is going on in this city, that I feel as though I should stay in… to avoid having to choose what to do!
With my time being spent in various hostels, I have met some really unique people. It is incredible that travelling can give you the opportunity to create a network of friends across the world. I have met people from all over the world including; Germany, UK, Brazil, Netherlands, USA, Denmark, Sweden, France and Italy.
After two weeks, I have finally started to feel settled in to my new home; my job is going well, my friends are abundant, and there is truly never a dull moment. The next step and final step until I am fully settled in is to find an apartment; a place I will stay for the remaining 5 and a ½ months while I am living and working in Sydney. I have been spending a lot of the time on the web looking, but I haven’t found the perfect place yet, so I am not rushing into finding a place.
Just before I end this post, I want to let you know about a trip myself, and a couple of the Best Jobs winners are planning for the end of November. If all goes as planned, I will be heading down to Adelaide for a few days to explore with Mr. Allan Dixon and Mr. Greg Snell. It has been AGES since I have seen either of them… so this trip will definitely be a treat! Stay tuned about how this trip comes about!
As I sign off for this post, it’s time to head to the Wake Up! Halloween Party – hope you enjoyed reading into what I have been up to since being in Sydney. I will be posting more frequently in the future and I hope you join me during my adventures.
Cheers!
sc.
Sams Wanderful Life 
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